The number 10 in football has for a long time been associated with some of the greatest names.
Think Lionel Messi, Pele, Maradona, Ronaldinho, Neymar Jr – all football royalty!
In the sport, 10 is considered sacred, iconic and oozes prestige, class and a superior feeling.
In Kenya, Irene Kwalia Kibet, the mother of highly rated youngster Aldrine Kibet, has seen firsthand how the jersey 10 has played an influential role in his son’s life.
From a young age, the now 17-year-old Kibet, who currently plies his trade with Nastic Sports Academy in Spain, had his eyes set on just emulating one famous player who donned the famous jersey number in Messi.
Since then, Kibet who hit the headlines in 2023 as the Most Valuable Player after leading St Anthony’s Boys Kitale to a sixth national title at the Kenya Secondary School Sports Association (KSSSA) games, has continued to chart a path for himself in the footballing world with the hopes of one day reaching his peak.
Kibet also played a big role as part of the Kenya U20 boys who made history by booking the country’s first-ever ticket to the U20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025 following their impressive outing in the U20 CECAFA 2024 tournament where they finished second behind hosts Tanzania.
SportPesa Blog caught up with his mum in an exclusive interview to get an inside understanding of what shaped Kibet from an early age and set him on the path he is currently on as he hopes to one day play for the famous Barcelona or English Premier League giants Arsenal.
Play here and stand a chance of winning the over 387 Million SportPesa Mega Jackpot
Starting Out
Kibet’s obsession with football and Messi is said to have started at an early age.
By the time he was five years old, the attacking midfielder had already shown a revealing appetite to be a part of the game.
When he was eight, Messi had already grown so much in his life to a point that the young boy started calling himself after the Argentine superstar.
“Kibet showed potential when he was very young at around 5 years old. By the time he was in Grade 2, he used to call himself Messi Liano Kipchirchir. He did not know how to pronounce Lionel, so he used to say Liano.
Even in his schoolbooks, he had written Messi Liano Kipchirchir because Messi is his idol,” Kwalia tells SportPesa Blog as she jumps into a burst of laughter thinking about it.
“He loved football since he was young and participated in the Baringo Under 10 tournament around 2015 where he was the Most Valuable Player. That really gave him more morale to play football,” Kibet’s mum regales.
From that tournament, Kibet continued chipping away in his football and was again picked out as the most outstanding player in the Victor Wanyama ROYA tournament in 2017, further solidifying his growing passion for the game.
It was a special moment for Kibet who got his first smartphone from the tournament and managed to meet former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Wanyama, his UEFA Champions League-winning brother McDonald Mariga and William Ruto who was the Kenyan deputy president at the time.
“In 2017, he participated in the Victor Wanyama ROYA tournament and he was selected as the Most Outstanding Player. Safaricom also rewarded him with his first smartphone from that tournament,” Kwalia reveals.
Those early moments in Kibet’s career fueled his belief to keep going.
Kibet would then join St. Anthony’s Boys Kitale in 2020 for his high school education where his mum believes was the perfect next step for his career. But this was after being rejected twice owing to his small size.
‘We managed to take him for trials at St Anthony where he was selected. That is where his skills were honed before eventually shining in 2023 when they won the sixth national title,” she remarked.
Aldrine Kibet’s parents
“Dad and mum, thank you so much for the incredible support and guidance you have provided since my childhood. Your dedication to helping me improve by watching Messi’s videos has been instrumental in inspiring my football journey.
I am truly grateful for everything you have done for me. My big fans, thank you so much,” reads a post from Kibet’s Facebook page with pictures of him alongside his father and mother after lifting the 2023 KSSSA title.
The post is a reflection of how crucial Kibet’s parents have been in his career, with his father Chris Kibet particularly paying keen attention and starting him off in his journey.
Having also discovered their son’s love for Messi, the parents would go an extra mile to ensure their son’s upbringing was tailored to the things he loved the most.
Apart from spending time with him over videos of Messi, Kibet’s birthday (13 June), which falls on the same month as Messi’s (24 June), always had to feature things that mattered to him.
“His dad loves football and was his first coach. All the toys we bought him when he was young were soccer balls. On his birthdays, we would not go for big parties, we just got him jerseys printed with his name and number 10. That is all,” Kwalia revealed.
ALSO READ: Gor Mahia captain forced to apologize to irate fans after shock defeat against Nairobi City Stars
But with education being an important accomplishment in these parts of the world, Kibet had one job to do in order for his parents to continue supporting him.
“When he was still in school, we agreed that he had to perform well in class and we would fully support his career. That is what he did because we do not have issues with him when it comes to his studies.
His dad understands a lot of things about football, so he is the one who ensures he does not lack anything in his career and supports his dream both in education and sports,” Kibet’s mum noted.
During his final year in high school, Kibet’s career took a promising turn in 2023 when he landed an opportunity to join the Nastic Sports Academy in Spain after successfully excelling at the trials held in Juja in March.
Although many would come to know about it after Kibet’s dazzling performances at the 2023 national school games, scouts had already been impressed by the youngster.
“The opportunity to Spain came even before the school games because he got the chance on 4 March 2023. He attended the Nastic Soccer trials in Juja and that is where he was picked.
As we were preparing him to go to Spain, it coincided with the national school games where he did very well, further proving he deserved the chance.
The opportunity to go to Spain made us really happy because we know his dreams will be a reality,” Kwalia revealed.
All through the journey, Kibet’s mum has grown a love for the sport that has seen her become her son’s biggest supporter, travelling to almost every tournament his son plays in with the latest one being the U20 CECEFA tournament in Tanzania.
While there, Kibet grabbed a hat trick against Sudan in the group stage and a marvelous solo goal in the semis against Burundi to finish the tournament with four goals, two behind John Dembe from Uganda who clinched the Golden Boot.
“On my part, I love football a lot because of him. I have traveled with him to a lot of places from his school games to every other tournament. I am actually his fan number 1,” Kwalia noted.
Having landed in Spain where he is already earning a lot of interest, Kwalia only hopes and prays that his son’s dreams will come true.
“Aldrine loves Barcelona and Arsenal a lot, that is his dream. We support that dream and we will be really happy to see him playing for either Barcelona or Arsenal,” she concluded.
